Chapter 86

When Liu Meng returned to the Zhou family with the pizza, Yan Yan was already back. Unlike her usual lively self, she sat on the sofa, barely moving, and even held her stomach. As an uncle, Liu Meng naturally had to pay more attention to the little girl. He touched her forehead, which wasn't hot, and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Yan Yan? Is your stomach uncomfortable? Did you eat something bad?"

The little girl pouted and shook her head, seemingly unwilling to speak. When he tried to take her to the doctor, she refused adamantly. Seeing that she didn't have a fever, Liu Meng didn't force her. It took a lot of coaxing to get her to eat a slice of pizza. He then made her a cup of honey water to soothe her stomach. It was rare for the little girl to go to bed at eight o'clock.

Donggua had already returned to Jianghai and sent Liu Meng a text message, reminding him not to forget to prepare for the Sanjiang Interview. After the interview, "Return to Ming" would be put on the VIP shelf, officially entering the VIP chapters.

At this moment, Liu Meng opened Dianmiao Chinese Literature Network. The most prominent position featured a fiery promotional slogan: "New rising star Sanpang brings the historical masterpiece 'Return to Ming' to the Sanjiang Interview. After the interview, there will be a massive update, and the amount of the update is up to you!"

The fiery promotional slogan was highly inciting, and the comments below were numerous, reaching over 50,000, a first in the history of Dianmiao Chinese Literature Network. Even before Sanpang joined Dianmiao, there were only slightly over 50,000 VIP users and about 500,000 regular users.

The website decided that the number of people participating in the Sanjiang Interview would determine the number of updates. If 100,000 people participated, 100,000 words would be updated; if 200,000 people participated, 200,000 words would be updated.

One reader commented, "If 1,000,000 people participate, will there be a 1,000,000-word update?"

Many readers agreed, but some more rational readers replied, "One million people? Go eat shit. How many members does Dianmiao have in total? Excluding fake accounts and aliases, there are probably not even 400,000 active members. One million people! That's a joke. In the past, the most popular Sanjiang Interviews had only about 50,000 participants."

This comment sparked a wave of anger, and the comments below were filled with curses. One reader said, "F*ck, the idiot upstairs, can those plagiarists be compared to our great Sanpang? Can they update 20,000 words a day? Can they release 1.1 million words in the public version?"

Many agreed, and some more rational supporters added, "Sanpang indeed has the potential to surpass the greats, but I think 100,000 participants is the limit. Too many people might crash Dianmiao's servers. A 100,000-word update is great, especially on the weekend. I can listen to music while reading 'Return to Ming.' One word: awesome!"

This comment was met with skepticism from some hardcore fans, who vowed to mobilize all possible resources to achieve a 200,000-word update.

While Dianmiao had anticipated a popular response, they didn't expect it to be this intense, several times more enthusiastic than previous Sanjiang Interviews.

Of course, this was also due to Sanpang's rapid updates, Dianmiao's relentless promotion, and the allure of the massive update, something no previous great had dared to promise. Or rather, even if they had promised, readers wouldn't have believed them. But with Sanpang, there was no doubt. With 1.1 million words in the public version, 20,000 words a day, and a 200,000-word update, what was so surprising?

Yan Hui was also scrolling through the comments on his computer. It was already past eight in the evening, but the editors at Dianmiao were still there because the chief editor had asked them to work overtime and hold a meeting.

Seeing this enthusiastic response, Yan Hui was very pleased and laughed heartily, "Donggua's idea was great. First, we use the Sanjiang Interview to hype up 'Return to Ming,' pushing it to new heights, and then we put it on the VIP shelf. According to the technical team, the number of members has increased very quickly, and most are paying members. In just two days, VIP members have increased to over 80,000, all waiting for 'Return to Ming' to go on the shelf."

Donggua, who still had his crutch by the side, was also very happy, "I think the subscription for 'Return to Ming' might set a record, maybe even break 10,000 subscriptions?"

Yan Hui extended his right hand, shook his finger, and smiled, "I think it might even reach 20,000 subscriptions."

This shocked the editors, who gasped. A 5,000-subscription first day was already a good result for a great author, and 10,000 subscriptions was already impressive. To hear the chief editor say 20,000 subscriptions was too crazy.

Yan Hui waved his hand, a gesture he had picked up from Jiang Dajiao, and stopped the discussion. "Perhaps the anticipation has been building for too long, and Sanpang has successfully created a sense of mystery. The promotional effect has been astonishing, creating a fever for a first look. The technical team should prepare for 200,000 participants, ensuring there are no congestion or page loading issues. We must finish this perfectly, giving Dianmiao a great start in the online literature world. As the saying goes, a good start is half the battle."

The technical team member, who had been frowning, said, "Chief Yan, with our current server capacity, it's difficult to support 200,000 participants. We need new equipment, and starting tomorrow, it will be challenging."

Pouring cold water on the enthusiasm, this made Yan Hui, who was in high spirits, very unhappy. He frowned and replied, "Then add another server. The finance department will allocate special funds. We must expand the capacity before the Sanjiang Interview tomorrow night."

The technical team member nodded, knowing there was no time to waste, and immediately called a friend to arrange the equipment.

"Does anyone have any suggestions for tomorrow's Sanjiang Interview?" Yan Hui asked.

The meeting had already lasted over two hours, and most ideas had been discussed. Yan Hui was just asking a casual question before adjourning.

Since being scolded by Donggua and then having her problem with "Return to Ming" solved, Baixi had been harboring a new idea. She was nervous about sharing it but, seeing the meeting was about to end, she mustered the courage and stammered, "I... I have a new idea."

"Stop stammering. If you have an idea, just say it. Even if it's not good, no one will blame you. It's better to throw out a brick to draw out a jade," Yan Hui said sternly but gave her an encouraging look.

Baixi gained some courage and said, "With Sanpang's popularity, can we try a new model, like street performers, where readers can tip the author if they enjoy the content, in addition to the regular subscription fee?"

After saying this, she looked around nervously, unsure if it was a good idea, feeling quite anxious.

The editors considered the feasibility of the idea. Yan Hui was the first to react, his face not very pleasant. "It's good to propose ideas, but writers are often proud. This tipping system might not be well-received and could backfire."

Donggua thought for a moment and said, "Baixi's suggestion has merit. It's hard to predict the outcome with a regular setup, and there's no time to change it before tomorrow's interview. Instead, we could test it after the interview through an event. A 5-yuan tip could upgrade a regular account to a basic VIP, and a 30-yuan tip could upgrade a basic VIP to a premium VIP. This could also increase the number of paying VIP readers."

With this improvement, the idea became more feasible, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Baixi, who had been anxious after proposing her idea and even more so after Yan Hui's initial rejection, felt relieved when everyone accepted it. She admired Donggua even more, her eyes filled with admiration and respect.

"Alright, the technical team should add the tipping event. That's all for today's meeting. Donggua, stay behind. Everyone else, go home and rest well. Tomorrow, we need to be at our best. No one is allowed to leave or take leave after work. We will witness this historic moment together."

Yan Hui was in high spirits, his words full of infectious energy. He paused and added, "After the interview, we will celebrate with a weekend party and a victory banquet for our greatest contributor, Donggua."

Everyone clapped and dispersed.

Now only Donggua and Yan Hui were left. Yan Hui, who rarely smoked, lit a cigarette, his eyes smiling, exuding the air of a successful person.

Donggua coughed, fanning away the smoke, and frowned, saying, "You never used to smoke. Why now? It's too strong. Put it out."

Yan Hui had to extinguish the cigarette and chuckled, "I'm not a smoker. I just felt like lighting one because I'm happy. By the way, what happened in Bingcheng? You've been busy since you got back, and I haven't had a chance to ask. And who exactly is this Sanpang?"